Hands Off My Hot Dog: Inject Common Sense in 2015 Dietary Guidelines

Hot dog, sausage, bacon and salami lovers throughout the land stand together as Americans in favor of a balanced diet that includes meat and poultry of all kinds. We stand together as people who value personal choice and reject taxes on foods that elite academics deem unhealthy. We assert ourselves as intelligent, free thinking people capable of making decisions that are best for our families’ nutrition needs, traditions and personal budgets.

As meat and poultry consumers, we recognize the diverse offerings in the meat and poultry case that include time-honored traditional formulations, low-sodium offerings, lean products, organic and natural. We value the convenience and affordability of many processed meats. In response to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s recent, anemic recommendations to eat lower amounts of red and processed meats we say, unequivocally and without hesitation, “Hands off my hot dog!”

We believe the dietitians and nutritionists who make up the Committee overstepped their bounds by not focusing on nutrition and instead wandering into environmental issues. In fact, we believe that processed meat products are sustainable because they limit spoilage and waste.

We petition the Secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services to reject these extreme and ill-considered recommendations and to ensure that meat and poultry products of all kinds are neither taxed nor restricted in federal nutrition programs like the School Lunch Program.

We petition you to embrace nutrient dense meat and poultry in a healthy, balanced diet. Let no grill be naked of its ribs, chicken and burgers alongside its corn on the cob and grilled vegetables. Let no hot dog bun be void of its wiener and filled only with condiments. Let no meatloaf be mere “loaf” and no spaghetti lack for its meatballs. Let no Kung Pao Beef be just Kung Pao and no classic Reuben be simply sauerkraut on rye.

Our great Declaration’s preamble declares that the pursuit of happiness is an inalienable right and for the 95 percent of Americans who enjoy meat and poultry, their food traditions are integral parts of their lives and their happiness and should not be impinged upon by nutrition despots who seek to impose their personal choices on others.